Believe it or not this is my roommate Sam. She was also my model for the Edward Scissorhands transformation I did (click here to check it out). I had a few requests to do a Sugar Skull look, so I thought I would give it a try. It is a pretty popular look and can really vary in appearance when you google Sugar Skull Makeup. That is what I liked most about this look - creative freedom. To create this look, I took features of a few different Sugar Skulls to create a look of my own.

This is how I did it:

Moisturize your face. You are going to be turning your face white. The last thing you need is your makeup cracking because it isn't moisturized so make sure to remember this step.

Apply white cream makeup. You can get this from any halloween/costume shop. I have tried dollar store and it doesn't build to give you that bright white look. Even with other white face makeup, you might have to go over it a few times to build the colour, and to make sure it's even. You can apply this makeup with a brush or sponge. Use whatever tool works best for you. Make sure that your cream makeup is dry before moving on to the next step.

Apply your colour of choice around the eye. You can use a paintbrush (dollar store are fine) to outline your eye shape first. Then fill it in. I used a deep purple cream eyeliner by Physicians Formula for my base. I tend to use whatever I have on hand. You don't need to go out and buy this. Use a colour that is highly pigmented and will give you a good base. Any cream eyeshadow should do. You will be setting it with eyeshadow after so don't worry if it looks shiny.

Add detail and depth to your eye with eyeshadow. This is the part I was talking about to set your cream base. I used a light purple all over, then used varying shades to add dimension to her eye area. At the end I added a white glittery colour to her inner eye and blended it out to soften the look.

Line your lid with black eyeliner and add mascara. If you want to add false eyelashes you can do so. We tried to add a pair of dramatic dollar store eyelashes and they were a nightmare to get on properly and even harder to remove. I had to use eye makeup remover and then fix the makeup around her eyes. So please use caution when using false lashes. My advice would be to buy a pair of Glamour Ardell lashes. I am sharing this with you so you can hopefully avoid making the same mistake I did. Luckily Sam has great natural lashes so I decided to just forget about false lashes all together after the dollar store lash fiasco.

Add your detail. I used a black eyeliner pencil (keep sharpening it to get a crisp line) to draw on my designs and then highlighted some areas with a bright purple eyeshadow. Here is where you get to be creative. You are making a skull look so pick and choose where you want your designs to go. The nose can vary, I went with this one because I felt filling it in completely wasn't as authentic.

Add gems! If you were deprived of ever getting to BeDazzle things (if you don't know what a BeDazzler is - it is probably before your time but worth googling) now is your chance to BeDazzle your face! I bought gems from the dollar store and used eyelash glue to adhere them. Note: do not buy dollar store glue. Buy a brand you trust. This is going on your face, so be sure you buy something you know you can get off. I used Quo eyelash glue and it was still quite the endeavour to remove. So keep this in mind. Please. When it comes to gem placement it is totally up to you. I liked the tear drop shaped ones on her cheeks and used clear around her eyes. These ones came in a strand which made it easy to outline! Be creative with it. That is what Halloween is all about!

Hair. I loved a picture online that had big flowers in the models hair so we tried to add some flowers. I found some at the dollar store on a wreath. I cut the wreath in half so it was like a headband and put that on Sam's head. The hair is totally up to you to do whatever look you want.

And that's it! This look took closer to two hours (though it might have taken less if we didn't run into false eyelash trouble). It is actually not that hard to create, it just takes a steady hand and attention to detail. If you do decide to re create this look please let me know and send me a picture, or upload it to my facebook page.